The Kaplan Comprehensive Cancer Center (KCCC) is the organization unit of NYU Medical Medical Center bringing together basic, epidemiologic, and clinical scientists to further the progress against cancer. Created in 1975, and now in its 23rd year of uninterrupted NCI core grant funding, the Center seeks five additional years of support. Recent changes in leadership have engendered the strengthening of the Center's programmatic structure, shared resource units and overall commitment by NYU Medical Center. Renewed institutional support to the KCCC is manifested in additional research and clinical space, and financial and organization status comparable to other academic departments; in addition, the new director, Franco M. Muggia, M.D., holds a concomitant appointment as Associate Dean of the medical school. Since assuming the director's position on July 1, 1997, Dr. Muggia has promoted a further integration of clinical and laboratory investigators within the outstanding basic science programs and has sought to strengthen translational research in environmental carcinogenesis and population science, based at the Nelson Institute of Environmental Medicine-a unique feature of this cancer center. Future plans embrace the vision of greater organ-oriented research through new programs in Breast and Genitourinary Cancer Research; another such study, Neuro-oncology, is presented as a developing program. Further reflecting the cross-fertilization of scientific disciplines, two new shared resources have been created: Population Genetics and Molecular Diagnostics. Blending the Center's overall expansion with selected organizational consolidation, we envision continued significant accomplishment through the 9 programs and 13 shared resources which foster and facilitate interchange among its 187 members. Their productivity promises to be reflected in cancer prevention and treatment efforts within the population we serve, and in research advances felt nationally and internationally.